Trunk stabilisation exercises reduce sternal separation in chronic sternal instability after cardiac surgery: A randomised cross-over trial

Abstract

Question: Do trunk stabilisation exercises reduce sternal separation and pain,and improve the quality and control of the performance of tasks in individuals with chronic sternal instability? Design: Randomised crossover study with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants: Nine individuals with chronic sternal instability following a median sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Intervention: The experimental intervention consisted of six weeks of trunk stabilisation exercises; the control intervention was no exercises. Outcome measures: Outcomes were sternal separation measured by ultrasound in mm, pain during the performance of nine everyday tasks measured on a 100-mm vis..